Side days compared
Dolphin Boat or Jeep Safari from Side: Water Day or Dust Day
These two days have almost nothing in common, which is exactly why guests ask which to do. One is sea and swimming; the other is off-road tracks and the hills behind the coast.
Short answer
Book the dolphin boat for a relaxed day on the water: river cruise, river-mouth swim, BBQ lunch on deck, a long swim at Dolphin Island with a chance (never a promise) of wild dolphins or turtles, and a foam party home. Book the jeep safari for an active, dusty day off-road in the Taurus foothills. If your week allows, do both — they complement rather than compete.
Sea or mountains, sitting or bouncing
The dolphin boat is a day you mostly sit through, happily. The boat leaves at 10:00, cruises the calm river, then anchors for three swims, with lunch on deck in between, and heads home with music and foam. It is back at the harbour around 16:30–17:00. Our stop-by-stop itinerary walks through each part.
The jeep safari is a day on the move. Open-top 4x4s leave the coast for the foothills, on rough tracks into the hills. It is noisier, dustier and more active, and that is its charm.
Who each day suits
- The dolphin boat suits guests who want the sea, a swim or three, and a day that asks little of them — including grandparents and families with small children.
- The jeep safari suits guests who want to see the inland landscape and enjoy a bumpy ride.
- A group may split on this. The good news is that both days collect from the hotel, so a group can do one together and the other in part.
- Bigger parties: the dolphin boat takes up to 20 guests in one booking; our group booking guide explains how a larger group books, pays and is collected.
What the dolphin day costs and includes
€21 per adult aged 11 and over, €15 for children aged 2 to 10, free under 2. That covers the hotel transfer both ways, the BBQ lunch, the foam party, guiding on board and full-day travel insurance. Drinks are sold at the bar. No payment is taken online. Euros change hands on the trip day, and you can step back for free while more than 48 hours remain.
The jeep safari is sold by our sister site jeepsafariside.com, which lists its own price, times and what is included. Compare there, not from memory of a leaflet.
One holiday week, both days
Put a beach day between them if you can. The jeep day is the one to do while you are fresh; the dolphin boat is a good day for tired legs, because the boat does the work. If the week fills up, the dolphin boat's free cancellation gives you room to move it.
When you have picked your date, book the dolphin boat. We send your hotel pickup time on the eve of the trip, by phone or WhatsApp.
Side Dolphin Island Boat Trip: price, what is included, and booking
